During transport or prolonged storage of such a soil compaction device, fuel from the tank container can reach the internal combustion engine, which is undesirable. Especially susceptible are internal combustion engines with a diaphragm carburetor device, since fuel will be aspirated by the diaphragm carburetor device during vibrations and will be conveyed into the internal combustion engine. It is therefore known to provide a so-called shut-off valve (gasoline shut-off), with which a fuel flow from the tank container to the internal combustion engine or its carburetor device can be interrupted. Such fuel shut-off valves are frequently not used in practice. The combination of a manually actuated gas actuation device for controlling the speed or power of the internal combustion engine with a fuel valve is known from the state of the art (cf. DE 195 49 113 C1). The valve will be automatically opened and closed by actuating the gas actuation device. Such solutions are susceptible to malfunctions, however, which has a disadvantageous effect on the operational reliability.